


The Reluctant Nephew Of A Flamboyant Hero

by MaroonLeoInvestedCrybaby



Series: Shazam & Booster Gold [1]
Category: Booster Gold (Comics), DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types, Plastic Man (Comics), Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Secret-Identity Reveal, Slight Violence, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaroonLeoInvestedCrybaby/pseuds/MaroonLeoInvestedCrybaby
Summary: Captain Marvel has never been teamed up with Booster Gold on a mission before but based off of first impressions, he's not the most humble hero in the world. However, when Captain Marvel is injured in the heat of battle, Booster Gold is the only one that Billy Batson can trust with his secret identity.
Series: Shazam & Booster Gold [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994248
Comments: 12
Kudos: 80





	The Reluctant Nephew Of A Flamboyant Hero

**Author's Note:**

> If you're a new reader just jumping into this series, welcome! You don't need any background information to enjoy this fic on its own but if you're confused about who this "George" character is, I would recommend checking out the fic "Child in Disguise & Former Gangster" in my Shazam & Plastic Man series for context. To summarize, he is basically a character I created for a comedic moment in that fic but he has quickly become a side character that I am most likely going to use for while. lol Anyways, onto the fic!

During a busy time at the Watchtower, League members were being assigned on missions almost every other day and Captain Marvel’s schedule was no exception. The hero had been placed on missions with Plastic Man almost every time but this particular morning, the rubbery hero had been placed on an early mission and now Captain Marvel had to have a different partner assigned to him.

In the Watchtower conference room, at least a dozen League members were standing around and waiting for Superman, who was standing at the front of the room, to assign partners for the upcoming missions.

He looked up from the pad he was holding and directed his gaze towards Captain Marvel.

“Captain Marvel, your teammate is Booster Gold.”

Marvel looked over at the navy/gold clad hero and saw him give a salute and a wink in Cap’s direction. The two had never worked together but Captain Marvel got the feeling that Booster Gold cared about his hero image far too much. It reminded him of the time he first got his powers and nearly lost Freddy’s friendship…

“Cap? Hey, Cap! You in there?”

Marvel turned suddenly and looked at who spoke. Booster was standing about a foot away and looking concerned about his teammate.

“Everything ok, Cap?”

Marvel nodded and tried to put on a confident smile.

“Yep, never better! I’m looking forward to working with you.”

Booster Gold looked a little skeptical at Captain Marvel’s quick response but didn’t press him. Instead, the two started making their way to the transporter and getting their minds in the right place for the mission ahead. At least a dozen other heroes were walking towards the transporter as well and talking amongst themselves. By the time both of the heroes got there, a line had formed to transport down to the battle and so Booster Gold and Captain Marvel had to wait their turn. Marvel was staring straight ahead and Booster Gold couldn’t stand the quiet so after a moment, he looked over at Captain Marvel and tried to clear the awkward silence between them.

“So…I’ve seen that you and Plastic Man seem to work well together, Cap.”

Captain Marvel seemed to brighten up a little bit at the mention of the stretchy hero and nodded with a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, we’ve done a lot of missions together.”

“How long have you guys worked together?”

Captain Marvel looked up at the ceiling of the transporter room, eyes narrowing as he considered the question.

“Not too long…Maybe a few months?”

Booster Gold raised an eyebrow behind his golden visor at Marvel’s answer.

“Really? You guys must have clicked right off the bat.”

“Yeah, we kinda did…He’s a persistent guy.”

Before Booster Gold could press for more details, the transporter crew called their names and the two heroes walked onto the transporter. Booster looked over at Captain Marvel and offered a flashy smile.

“Let’s knock’ em dead, Cap.”

Captain Marvel softly returned the smile, seeming a little hesitant to respond with more enthusiasm.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

The crew member up at the transporter controls activated the machine and Captain Marvel and Booster Gold both felt their bodies being split into atoms and traveling down to the battle. As soon as they materialized where the mission was taking place, Captain Marvel and Booster Gold realized that they were walking into a firefight. 

The criminal they were instructed to hunt down and stop was destroying the street and nearby buildings with a strange weapon and the screams of citizens fleeing from the scene caused a feeling of panic in the heroes that were sent to intervene. 

Captain Marvel immediately ran to a woman he saw that was trapped under some building rubble and dug her out. Her face was covered in tears and she was hugging a young child to her chest as Captain Marvel dragged away chunks of the building. He offered a hand up and she hesitantly took it while still holding onto her kid. As she was freed, Captain Marvel pointed to the nearby cop cars and the police officers rounding up people and getting them to ambulances.

“Get to safety, Ma’am! It’s not safe—“

Captain Marvel felt something burn the space between his shoulder blades and collapsed to the ground as the woman and her child ran away from the battle. The hero’s body started shuddering and he couldn’t bring himself to stand any more…What was he going to do? Against his will, he started to fall forward and his limbs refused to work with him at all. If this continued, he was going to be completely helpless.

A pair of arms appeared under his armpits and lifted him off the ground and started dragging Captain Marvel towards a nearby alleyway. Marvel panicked for a moment but heard a familiar voice talking in his ear.

“I got you, Cap! Just hang on till I get you out of the line of fire then we can check your wounds.”

“I’m f-fine, Booster. You should get back out there.”

Booster Gold heaved Captain Marvel into the alleyway and hefted him up onto a crate near the brick wall of a nearby building and eyed him suspiciously.

“You just got shot in the back and can barely move your body. Yeah, that seems normal. C’mon Marvel, I’ve been around the timeline a few times and I know a serious injury when I see one.”

Captain Marvel looked down at the ground and his mind began running a marathon. His body was shutting down and he could barely feel his limbs anymore. At this rate, he was going to become completely useless and be a burden for his teammate. Perhaps, if he transformed back into Billy, Booster Gold could carry him back to the Watchtower and get the medical attention he needed. But…then his secret identity would be revealed and the other League members would never let him be a part of the League again…

“Hey Cap, I need you to focus, alright?”

Marvel forced his head to lift back up and he looked through Booster’s gold visor to see his anxious blue eyes. That look caught him so off guard that Marvel could feel his previous apprehensions about the hero beginning to fade away. After a moment, he spoke in a quiet, shaky tone that made Booster more nervous about his teammate’s state.

“B-Booster? I need you to promise me something…”

Booster gripped Marvel’s shoulder and spoke in an almost scolding voice.

“If you’re saying your last words, forget it.”

Marvel sluggishly shook his head.

“No, I n-need you to promise me that n-no one will find out my s-secret identity. Please, promise me…” 

Booster looked confused for a moment but then looked at Marvel with fierce conviction.

“Of course, Cap, but what are you—“

“SHAZAM!”

A single bolt of lightening shot down from the sky and struck Captain Marvel. Booster Gold luckily let go for a moment and was spared from being electrocuted. After the smoke cleared, he looked back at the spot where Marvel was only a moment ago and, instead, there was a small boy with pitch black hair. His eyes were closed and his little chest moved and down with each tired breath he took in.

Booster found himself panicking even more than before and hesitantly reached out to check on the child siting there in front of him. When his hand touched the boy’s face, he stirred and his eyelids fluttered open to reveal striking blue eyes. There was momentary panic in that boy’s irises but then recognition took over. The older hero struggled to find his voice but when he did, it came out in a near whisper.

“Cap? Is that you?”

The boy offered a tired smile and leaned into Booster’s hand that was still on his face.

“Yep, my name’s Billy.”

Booster’s heart broke at that exhausted expression but he responded instead by warmly smiling back at the young hero.

“Nice to meet you, Billy. I’m gonna get you some help, ok?”

Billy weakly nodded and Booster scooped the boy up into his arms and held him tightly agains his chest. By now, the sounds of the battle had died down slightly and Booster figured it would be all right to get his teammate some medical help.

The other League members on the mission managed to get the weapon away from the criminal and had pinned him to the ground as police officers came over to arrest him. As they dragged the criminal away, Booster Gold wondered how on Earth he was going to get his teammate some help without exposing his secret identity.

As he was wondering what to do, Billy’s weak voice caught Booster Gold’s attention and he lifted the kid a little closer to his ear so he could hear him clearly.

“A-Ask for G-George.”

The older hero looked a little confused over the request but he contacted the Watchtower and waited with bated breath for a response from the transporter crew. After a few seconds, a voice spoke into Booster Gold’s earpiece.

“Go ahead, hero.”

“Is there someone there named George? It’s an emergency.”

The voice didn’t answer but Booster Gold swore he heard the lines being transferred and soon a different voice spoke through the earpiece. It sounded slightly worried.

“George here, how can I help you Booster Gold, sir?”

“Captain Marvel told me to ask for you. Any reason why—“

“Hold on, sir,” The sound of an announcement faintly echoing in the background of the Watchtower vicinity echoed in the older hero’s ear and then George spoke again, “The transporter room is clear, sir. Are you ready to be transported back to the Watchtower?”

Booster Gold looked down at Billy who was breathing faintly in his arms and felt an overpowering need to get the kid help as soon as possible. He spoke to George without a moment of hesitation.

“Yes, beam us up immediately. Captain Marvel needs medical attention.”

Not a moment later, the familiar sensation of being transported rippled through Booster Gold’s body and he held Billy a little closer as both of their bodies beamed back up to the Watchtower.

As soon as both of them materialized back into the Transporter Room, Booster Gold saw that the entire room had been cleared out and only one transporter crew member was standing at the controls. He rushed down to Booster Gold and looked worried when he saw Billy’s unconscious form in the older hero’s arms.

“I-Is he all right?”

Booster Gold looked down at the black-haired kid with worried eyes. Nothing seemed wrong with the kid except the fact he was exhausted but still…

“I think so. I’m going to take him back to my quarters and look after him, I have a promise to keep. You won’t mention this situation to anyone else, right?”

George saluted and a small smile appeared on his face.

“Of course, sir! Please let me know if you need anything to help with Marvel’s recovery.”

Booster Gold returned the smile and flew out of the transporter room at full speed. It was difficult to avoid other League members potentially seeing the young alter ego of Captain Marvel, but Booster had a promise to keep and he intended to.

Once he arrived back at his quarters, Booster placed Billy gently on the couch and Skeets flew into the living room. Booster turned to the robot and pointed back at Billy.

“Can you give me a quick medical scan, Skeets?”

_“Of course, sir. But may I ask—“ ___

__

__“No you can’t. Just get me that scan while I grab the first aid kit from the bathroom.”_ _

__Skeets sounded like he buzzed in annoyance but he hovered near Billy and started scanning his body for injuries. Booster walked back to the bathroom and opened up the drawers until he found the kit and came back to the living room to find Billy starting to wake up. The older hero rushed over, knelt down next to the couch and put a gentle hand on Billy’s back to help him sit up. The kid looked so tired…_ _

__“W-Where am I?”_ _

__Booster rubbed Billy’s back to reassure him but was careful to avoid the area between his shoulder blades._ _

__“Hey Billy, it’s all right. You’re back on the Watchtower in my quarters.”_ _

__Billy turned his head slowly and looked at Booster with worried blue eyes._ _

__“D-Did anyone—“_ _

__Booster gently interrupted and pulled a pillow from the other side of the couch and put it under Billy’s head._ _

__“No, no one saw you. I made sure your identity was kept a secret. After all, I made a promise to my teammate.”_ _

__Billy’s face relaxed as he leaned on the pillow behind him and a grateful smile spread across his face._ _

__“Thank you, Booster.”_ _

__Booster smiled back and couldn’t help but ruffle the kid’s black hair._ _

__“What the heck? Might as well tell you my real name after everything that happened. I’m Micheal Carter.”_ _

__“In that case, thank you, Mr. Micheal.”_ _

__For the first time since the battle, Booster finally relaxed and let out a laugh as he mussed the kid’s hair one more time before heading into the kitchen to make something for both of them to eat. Skeets followed him and floated near the older hero as he started pulling out leftovers to heat up._ _

__

___“Sir, I thought you should know that the boy will fully recover from the injury on his back.” ____ _

____ _ _

____“Thanks, Skeets.”_ _ _ _

____After Booster Gold finished heating up some left-over pizza from the other night, he placed a few slices on two plates and walked back over to the couch. He sat down and handed one of the plates over to Billy, who started munching on the pizza immediately, realizing just how hungry he was from the battle. The two of them ate in silence and watched the T.V without really paying attention to the program._ _ _ _

____As time passed, Booster Gold realized how late it was and turned to Billy. The kid seemed to be doing better after the battle and his injury wasn’t bothering him but the older hero didn’t feel comfortable just letting the kid leave._ _ _ _

____“Hey, Billy?”_ _ _ _

____The kid turned to Booster Gold with a mouthful of pizza and tilted his head to the side, waiting for the older hero to finish._ _ _ _

____“You want to stay here for the night? Just to make sure your injury doesn’t get worse?”_ _ _ _

____Billy swallowed his food and smiled._ _ _ _

____“Sure, if that’s ok with you, Mr. Micheal.”_ _ _ _

____Booster Gold chuckled at the unnecessary formality and got up to put away the plates from their quick dinner. After that, the older hero made sure the couch was conformable enough by piling blankets on top of the kid and giving him nearly all the pillows in the apartment. Billy just snuggled under the blankets and turned over onto his side and closed his eyes, finally getting some rest after the crazy battle._ _ _ _

____Micheal watched the kid for a moment before finally heading back into his room and taking off the Booster Gold uniform and hanging it up in the closet. He put on some pajama shorts and a white t-shirt then crawled into his own bed. It took a while for him to finally fall asleep because all he could think about was the fact that one of his fellow League members was a child…And he would have died if Booster Gold hadn’t been there to save him._ _ _ _

____Later that night, Micheal heard something that sounded like someone was in pain and he threw the covers of his body and walked quickly back into the living room. With the dim lights shining from the kitchen appliances, Micheal could see Billy shaking in his sleep and tossing back and forth on the couch._ _ _ _

____The older hero softly tiptoed over and knelt down beside the couch. Billy whimpered in his sleep and it looked tears were beginning to leak onto his cheeks. Micheal reached out a hand and gently ruffled Billy’s dark hair to try and comfort him. The kid froze up at the unfamiliar feeling but after a moment, he started to breathe deeper and fell back into a more peaceful sleep. His skinny arm appeared from under the covers and Billy’s hand softly grabbed Micheal’s arm, almost as if he was asking Booster to stay. The older hero smiled sadly and laid down on the floor and let his arm be held onto while Billy kept sleeping._ _ _ _

____The most he could do was be there for the kid when nightmares plagued him. Micheal only wished someone could have been there for Booster Gold when night terrors haunted the hero._ _ _ _

____THE END_ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for not updating for so long but I hope that you all enjoyed reading this fic and meeting Billy Batson's second self-proclaimed weird uncle! Not to worry, the Shazam & Plastic Man series will continue to be updated along with this new series which I am calling, wait for it, Shazam & Booster Gold! These two were a pairing that I considered for a while and was pleasantly surprised with the prompts I have come up with and I hope you all will look forward to them!


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